Search results

  1. HookMeUpII

    Politics

    https://www.axios.com/2024/05/31/joe-manchin-leaves-democratic-party-independent Didn't believe it till I searched. I feel like this has been a long time coming. Never liked the guy, never hated him. Might be inclined to like him slightly more now.
  2. HookMeUpII

    Allure of the Ruger No1

    458 Win Mag.
  3. HookMeUpII

    Allure of the Ruger No1

    I am as well. Imagine the double rifle you could buy for that? Makes you wonder how the seller came to end up owning that.
  4. HookMeUpII

    Allure of the Ruger No1

    Kevin, Absolutely. I will be visiting the shop at 3:30pm today to pay and submit paperwork. Hopefully I can snap some pics. I've looked all over for these rifles, in big bore calibers, and one happened to be sitting in a shop no less than 10 miles from my home.
  5. HookMeUpII

    show me a pic of your favorite outdoor place ever found

    Really appreciate that! Took me 10 years to get that band, coincidentally. It was perfect that it happened to be a big old NJ black duck. One day I do need to get down that way and complete the "black duck slam." - American - Mottled - Mexican Black Duck I actually managed to even speak to...
  6. HookMeUpII

    458 WM to 458 Lott Re-Chambering

    I am due to take possession of a Ruger No. 1 in 458WM. I am getting a very good deal on the rifle and it has me considering using some of those savings to have it re-chambered. Has anyone had a shop do the 458WM to 458 Lott re-chamber? What was involved? What was your cost? I may or may not...
  7. HookMeUpII

    show me a pic of your favorite outdoor place ever found

    May not be much to most of you guys but historic Gunning River in Barnegat NJ. Where I shot my 10 year old banded black duck. It was somewhere I always wanted to hunt but never had. Pure peace. Middle of winter, I had the spot all to myself.
  8. HookMeUpII

    Help me make my list

    Cross black wildebeest off, they are more prevalent in the Free State. Having been to Limpopo, what "screams" that area: Warthog - They are quite literally, all over the place and you are doing a service to the farmers/landowners. Just know importing the trophy back comes with some extra...
  9. HookMeUpII

    9.3x62 Barnes 250 Grain TSX or Nosler E-Tip 250 Grain for PG up to Eland

    You are going to have a hard time finding better than Barnes TSX/TTSX. I can't speak to DG/buffalo as I only used it for PG. I used a 300WM when I went shooting Barnes 185gr TTSX. Everything died, one shot, and went no farther than 50-100 yds. Now, in everything from .223 up to .458, I basically...
  10. HookMeUpII

    Allure of the Ruger No1

    Well, it looks like it may be happening. Seems like I will finally be getting my No 1 Tropical AND my first big bore. Don't like counting my chickens before they hatch but this deal is too good to pass up. Will hopefully have pics soon.
  11. HookMeUpII

    Not good news from Federal

    I took an absolute hosing on Vista outdoors stock. Highly rated, strong buy, had some gains then boom....they announced they are selling off the outdoor/firearms divisions. Such a disappointment.
  12. HookMeUpII

    SOUTH AFRICA: First-Timer Success With Kuche Safaris May 2023

    Nope. Actually, I thought I packed perfectly. They are really good with the laundry there. You don't need a ton of outfits. I think the most important things are: - A nice earth color or camo rain coat. It does rain this time of year. Unfortunately, the only time I got caught in it, I didn't...
  13. HookMeUpII

    Rolex- the stupidest, lamest company

    I can't comment on Orient although I've heard good things. Every Seiko I have is solid. I have a Seiko SKX diver, and a Seiko re-invent of the "Arnie." The SKX auto literally needs adjusting once every couple of months. The Arnie, outside of DST, I haven't had to reset maybe more than once? I've...
  14. HookMeUpII

    Rolex- the stupidest, lamest company

    Citizens and Seikos don't get enough credit, to be honest. Citizens are better in terms of their self-charging Eco Drive quartz, Seiko makes some of the toughest auto movements out there. Prior to the advent of the Casio G-Shocks (and then Suuntos, Garmins, etc.), all the serious operators...
  15. HookMeUpII

    Rolex- the stupidest, lamest company

    Citizens are absolute battle tanks. I have a Citizen Aqualand Promaster Eco Drive given to me for my 18th birthday. I'm 41. It just keeps going. No battery, no winding, and the only time I ever have to reset the time is for DST. Some of those were favored by the SOF community back in the day as...
  16. HookMeUpII

    Importing - Safari Specialty Importers

    I have not used Wyatt, but plan to as we are due to have our mounts shipped likely sometime late this year. I/we (my group) are planning to use his services. I will be following this thread. I've had personal discussions with Wyatt and everything he's told me, the feedback read on here, and...
  17. HookMeUpII

    Travel to RSA on United Airlines ammo question

    How long are you going and what's on your list? Are those 10 round boxes? It's always good to bring extra but that's a good bit of ammo. I shot 5 animals in RSA when I went in May and used 7 rounds total, 2 of which were for sighting in. Even if you have 3 out of the 5 with follow up shots...
  18. HookMeUpII

    Skin so Soft

    Here in NJ we have biting greenhead flies, chiggers, and gnats in the marsh. I've always thought Skin so Soft was the biggest gimmick known to mankind. It doesn't work. I can tell you I've battle tested it here in NJ and greenheads don't give a gnats you know what about it. The gnats...
  19. HookMeUpII

    Travel to RSA on United Airlines ammo question

    Re-stating it for clarity. Prior to going myself, I had a couple people suggest it. Just want to make sure he doesn't fall into that advice.
  20. HookMeUpII

    Travel to RSA on United Airlines ammo question

    First off, do not put the ammo in the same case as the rifle. Just don't. Some people I am sure have done it without issue. Just don't I used one of these with a TSA lock: https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/mtm-survivor-dry-boxes Throw the lock on, put it in your checked bag. Done. The mixing...
  21. HookMeUpII

    Age for kids?

    We have a 2 year old at home and wife is pregnant with #2, now. My wife (a teacher) and I restrict tech heavily. It makes our lives about 75% harder because it's constant live entertainment from us but we make the sacrifice. He gets supervised TV on Saturday and Sundays just to let him have a...
  22. HookMeUpII

    Rolex- the stupidest, lamest company

    Always used my Marathon GSAR as a backup bottom timer. 90% of people will have no concept of what these watches were meant for. A lot of the new courses (tech) don't even teach students how to manually time bottom and deco stops anymore. Kinda scary. It's right next to my dive computer in this...
  23. HookMeUpII

    Rolex- the stupidest, lamest company

    I'm sure this could possibly happen but I will bet 99% of the time it does not. Like I said, it's career suicide to get caught. I don't know the particulars of what's involved with getting an AD contract but I've heard it's the farthest thing from easy. Lots of AD's do their absurd due diligence...
  24. HookMeUpII

    Ticks

    Permethrin (Sawyer) works best but you absolutely do not need to soak. The concentrate is nothing more than a cost saver. It's good to have because you'll likely never need to buy it ever again. A very little diluted in water, put into a spray bottle, goes an incredibly long way. Or you can just...
  25. HookMeUpII

    Rolex- the stupidest, lamest company

    Could be, wouldn't surprise me. I know if they get caught that's the end of the line for their AD. Rolex has people watching the forums/classifieds. That's one of the reasons you'll see serials blacked out. Even a good client who maybe buys a new watch, realizes it's not for them maybe a year...
  26. HookMeUpII

    Giraffe question from newbie

    That's definitely cool. You got a pretty cool rig setup there. I assume you crated the giraffe yourself?
  27. HookMeUpII

    Rolex- the stupidest, lamest company

    Lets not forget the gallons upon gallons of scumbag blood they get drenched in as well. Not me:
  28. HookMeUpII

    Giraffe question from newbie

    Did the tractor come with the giraffe? lol If so, I might be tempted to shoot one (giraffe, not tractor).
  29. HookMeUpII

    Giraffe question from newbie

    I have no qualms about people hunting them legally, but I choose not to myself. Bringing the trophy back can financially ruin someone. Folks will go with a full neck or 1/4 shoulder from the floor mount and the dollar amount to have only that shipped is staggering. There is also some...
  30. HookMeUpII

    Bringing rifle w/o assistance

    Do you mean tipping...or "tipping." I have never personally done it. I used Mr. X. Which eliminated any sort of "tipping." Which is why you spend $150-$200 in the first place.
  31. HookMeUpII

    Bringing rifle w/o assistance

    We had the most budget PG hunt in the world. Cost of airfare and taxidermy with animals all in could have been $5,000 - $6,000 if you stuck to the package (hint: I didn't). $150-$200 was a "rounding error" for us. I probably spent $150 on souvenirs for my family there. I could see renting a...
  32. HookMeUpII

    this sucks

    I'm seeing the airline storage fees coming up quite a bit with Coppersmith vs SSI, which no one seems to have any with. For having a bonded warehouse, seems like Coppersmith never uses it. I got a very vague answer with regards to my pig from Coppersmith.
  33. HookMeUpII

    this sucks

    Honestly, I had a blast from start to finish. Here is my report. https://www.africahunting.com/threads/south-africa-first-timer-success-with-kuche-safaris-may-2023.75195/ There has been some back and forth on here and I can honestly say, my experience was nothing short of fantastic. Koos and...
  34. HookMeUpII

    Amazon Safari supplies?

    This got beaten up to death and I agree. So much misinformation online. My Amazon shopping list: I bought these for my Pelican...
  35. HookMeUpII

    Age for kids?

    Lots to think about after all the input. I see @rookhawk jumped in with some awesome info. It really seems like I should be looking at 10 years old at the minimum. There's a lot of runway till then. My son might not be interesting in hunting at all? The good news (for me) is my wife is all-in...
  36. HookMeUpII

    What camo pattern

    Forget the camo. No need. I wore Carhartt safari/fishing shirts in a green color and brush pants in green or brown color to match. Days I didn't wear them I wore wrangler cargo pants in the same color. Khaki color works too. That time of year, it can be chilly in the mornings and hot mid-day...
  37. HookMeUpII

    New leupold will be here tomorrow

    I have a 3-15x44mm in the Firedot and the same scope with the Windplex on another rifle. The light gathering on them is superb. Search my posts on here about my time in RSA playing around stalking warthogs at dusk. I never got a chance to actually shoot anything with the firedot but my PH and I...
  38. HookMeUpII

    Bringing rifle w/o assistance

    Yeah it's the best $150-$200 you'll ever spend. Please don't do this without a permit service. You'll likely be "tipping" SAPS that much anyway. Otherwise get comfy at the airport for an overnight stay while they "review your paperwork." Mr. X handled ours. It was shockingly smooth. Even...
  39. HookMeUpII

    this sucks

    This makes me feel a lot better. I am hoping to convince the rest in my group to use SSI. Seems like a little bit of extra expense goes a long way with them. I am about 30 miles as the crow flies from JFK which is likely where my trophies will come in through so its an easy decision.
  40. HookMeUpII

    this sucks

    This is something I wish I knew prior to going. We would have been good with everything else. Kudu, impala, blesbok, and wildebeest. Knowing what I know now, don't think I'd have taken the warthog. This is encouraging. I'm curious to see how mine goes. From everything he explained to me, they...
  41. HookMeUpII

    Red Meat... Best Hunting Vehicle

    It's honestly pretty amazing how they fit them in the back of the HiLux's with the safari racks.
  42. HookMeUpII

    Question On Heart Shots

    It's bound to happen at some time to everyone. Thankfully both our stories went well and we were able to recover the animal. Those impala are tough. One of the guys in our group took the shoulder off one. Tracker and PH spent a day and a half on it. They eventually got him.
  43. HookMeUpII

    this sucks

    Our outfitter. Kuche Safaris.
  44. HookMeUpII

    this sucks

    This must have changed because that's not what I was told. But once again, maybe it changed. I very well could be wrong. Something else might be up here. I have heard of stories with crates getting infested with local bugs/critters. I am not saying this is OP's case. If it is the case though, I...
  45. HookMeUpII

    Hunt over water; Shoot from truck

    ^ This And usually if you see an animal from the truck that's on your list, worth taking, and don't get the shot...be ready to stalk. That's usually how it goes. They won't just bail on the opportunity. I'd venture to say most PH's will try to get you out and on it with a stalk. Which is...
  46. HookMeUpII

    Hunt over water; Shoot from truck

    You will have to make these decisions for yourself based on your personal ethics. Your PH will ask you if you mind shooting from the truck and if not, tell them if you prefer not to. I can tell you, if you have a warthog on your list, you will have a hell of a time finding one NOT sitting by a...
  47. HookMeUpII

    this sucks

    Something is being missed here or something has changed since last speaking to Wyatt... I was under the impression that pigs, even just euro mounts (which mine is), require USDA inspection. I could be wrong though. I had not looked into this since July of 2023.
  48. HookMeUpII

    this sucks

    This is the way I am going. Coppersmith seemed like nice enough people but after speaking to Wyatt at SSI, my decision was easy. They have the bonded warehouse and handle things from start to finish. Like I said, Coppersmith seemed like nice enough people but for only $200 or so more with SSI...
  49. HookMeUpII

    Ranking Plains Game, Ranking Dangerous Game

    I'm hardly qualified to really give a good input on this because I've only been to RSA once but... PG 1) Kudu. I could probably hunt kudu every time I go and it would still be as thrilling as the first time. The difficulty in finding and getting close to the older, bigger bulls is way up...
  50. HookMeUpII

    Question On Heart Shots

    I think that and also the shock of the round. My blesbok was a bang-flop. The impala was close. Leg kick and flop. @rookhawk may be on to something. My blesbok was hit right on the heart area as well but never confirmed because it went to the skinning shed right away. It was hit in that region...
 
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